But a prevailing theory is that foods rich in healthy fats and protein are more satisfying so you eat less junk that isn’t; protein-rich foods increase your digestive metabolism, so you burn more calories, and foods like nuts are high in fiber, so a fair amount of their caloric energy passes through you unabsorbed.

“One easy way to understand this is to ask yourself what would make you feel more full, 300 calories of apple juice (about 2 ½ cups) or 300 calories of apples (about 4 apples),” says the lead author of that peanut study, Richard D. Mattes, M.P.H., Ph.D., R.D., director of the Ingestive Behavior Research Center at Purdue University.

Eating fruit instead of juice also slashes your risk for diabetes by up to 26 percent while drinking juice raises it 8 percent, according to a study of 187,382 people published in the British Medical Journal.

Making the switch can save you hundreds of sugary calories a week.

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Have Nuttier Snacks

Instead of eating that snack bag of chips, pour yourself a palmful of nuts.

At 160 to 200 calories (the amount in those chips or pretzels) an ounce, nuts are calorie dense.

One study published in the Journal of Nutrition found an inverse association between regular nut consumption and body mass index, while another published in the same journal found that people who ate nuts two or more times a week had less risk for weight gain and obesity over an 8 year period than their peers who rarely ate them.

You already know that the closer food is to its natural form, the better it is for your health.

Well, whole foods are also better for your waistline.

In a study of 450 students published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Japanese researchers found that those who regularly ate foods that required work to chew and eat had significantly leaner waistlines than those who generally consumed processed, easy to chew foods.

Those findings were echoed in an animal study where mice eating softened feed actually became obese over the course of 5 ½ months, while those eating their usual hard feed saw no weight gains.

So if you flood your system with a fishbowl margarita, you won’t be burning anything else for hours.

With your inhibitions blunted with booze, you’ll also likely toss down a few hundred more in the form of bar food. Stick to one or two weight-healthy drinks a day by being the last to show up at the bar and the first to leave.

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Stream Your Own Soda

Half the people in the U.S. get at least 200 calories a day from sugary soft drinks.

Not surprising when you consider that a 20-ounce soda contains 240 calories in the form of 15 teaspoons of sugar.

In a review of 30 studies, researchers found a link between soda consumption and weight gain and obesity in both children and adults.

If you like bubbly flavored beverages, buy a Sodastream water carbonator, bubble up some plain water, squeeze in a lemon and lime and save yourself hundreds of calories a day.

And don’t fall for the diet soda trap—it’s no better than the sugary stuff for your metabolic health and has been linked to weight gain.

Even lunches tipped the caloric scales at over 1,000. You can make an abundance of healthy, delicious lunches for 600 calories or less at home.

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Slow Your Roll

Inhaling your food isn’t just impolite, it can also cause you to eat hundreds of extra calories throughout the day.

A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that quick eaters not only consumed more than 10 percent more calories, but also felt less satisfied when the meal was done—and hence more likely to keep snacking afterward.

The slow eaters also drank about a half cup more water during the meal, which helps increase metabolism and keep calorie intake in check.

Take smaller bites, chew each bite twice as long as you usually do, and put down your utensils between bites.

When a team of researchers took a group of men and women who regularly slept a healthy 7 to 9 hours a night and had them cut their shut eye time in half for five days, the sleep deprived volunteers responded by increasing their calorie consumption from 2,518 calories a day to 2,814 calories, much of it in the form of fat.

Keep your calories and cortisol in check by getting at least 7 hours of quality sleep a night.

Delay breakfast until after your workout. You’ll fire up your fat burning and ultimately become a better fat burner not just while you exercise, but all day long.

In a study published in EBioMedicine, Japanese researchers found that when you exercise before breakfast you can burn between 260 and 280 more calories throughout the day than when you exercise at other times.

Meaty mushrooms like shitakes, portobellos, and white buttons make good substitutes for beef in pasta dishes, soups, and even sandwiches and burgers.

They also save a ton of calories without leaving you hungry.

In a study published in Appetite, Johns Hopkins researchers found that men and women who chose mushroom-based lunches over beef-based afternoon meals ate 444 fewer calories while still feeling just as satisfied.

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Eat Mindfully and Purposefully

Mindful eating sounds new agey, but it’s more important than ever in our modern-day distracted lives.

Asking yourself questions like why you’re eating (are you just bored?), what you’re eating (is it the best choice to fuel your active body?) and how much you should eat (do you need 3 slices of pizza or will 2 or even 1 do?) and then tuning into the taste of your meal.

In one study, people with binge-eating disorders were actually able to reduce their weekly binge episodes from more than 4 per week to 1 ½ through mindful eating practices.

Even if you don’t chronically binge eat, chances are you mindlessly toss back more than you intend to at least now and then.

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Quench Your Thirst Before You Eat

Pour yourself a pint (of water) and drink it before your next meal, and you may eat about 90 fewer calories by the time you push away from the table, according to a study by researchers at Virginia Tech.

Practice it three times a day and you may not only spare yourself close to 300 calories, but also will automatically get the fluid you need to stay well hydrated.

But there are some rising stars like amaranth, kamut, freekeh, farro, teff, millet, and, of course, quinoa that are blasting out of the past and nudging their way onto mainstream supermarket shelves.

These so called ancient grains are well worth a try because they tend to be higher in fiber and protein—both of which fill you up faster and stoke your metabolism higher—than the typical wheat and rice staples in our diet.

Research shows that eating the recommended amount of daily fiber—38 grams a day for men, 25 grams a day for women—significantly reduces the risk of gaining weight over time.

Then add a half a cup of rice. Simmer for 40 minutes or boil for 25. Then—and this is key—refrigerate it overnight (or 12 hours).

You reduce the calories in a given serving by up to 60 percent, which means you get just 100 calories versus 200 calories per cup for white rice.

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Eat More (Yes, More) Eggs

In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers from Louisiana State University found that men and women who ate two eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight after two months than their peers who ate a bagel breakfast that contained the same number of calories.

That’s likely because as other research points out, eggs improve satiety, so you’re likely to eat fewer calories the rest of the day.

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